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Indoor Golf Simulator Sports Facility Insurance (UK): What Cover You Need, Key Risks & How to Protect Your Business
Indoor golf simulators have exploded in popularity across the UK — from dedicated simulator venues and golf studios to bars, leisure centres, hotels and multi-sport facilities adding a bay or two. The business model can be brilliant: year-round revenue, predictable bookings, and a customer experience that blends sport and entertainment.
But the risk profile is very different to a traditional golf club. You’ve got high-value tech, customers swinging clubs in confined spaces, people moving around in low light, and often alcohol, food and events in the mix. That’s why “generic business insurance” can leave gaps.
This guide explains the core covers most indoor golf simulator operators need, common claims, typical exclusions to watch for, and practical steps you can take to reduce risk and keep premiums sensible.
What is indoor golf simulator facility insurance?
Indoor golf simulator facility insurance is usually a tailored package built around the risks of operating an indoor sports and leisure venue. It typically combines:
- Public liability (injury/property damage to third parties)
- Employers’ liability (a legal requirement if you employ staff)
- Property insurance (buildings, contents, fixtures and fittings)
- Equipment cover (simulators, launch monitors, projectors, PCs, screens, mats)
- Business interruption (lost income after an insured event)
- Legal expenses (contract disputes, employment issues, tax investigations)
- Cyber insurance (booking systems, payment data, ransomware)
Most venues will arrange this as a commercial combined policy, with optional extensions depending on whether you serve alcohol, host events, run coaching, sell retail stock, or operate multiple sites.
Why indoor golf simulators have unique risks
From an insurance point of view, indoor simulators sit at the intersection of sports facility risk and tech/equipment risk. Common factors that affect cover and pricing include:
- Confined swing zones (club strikes, ball ricochets, people walking behind players)
- High-value equipment (projectors, impact screens, launch monitors, PCs, tablets, TVs)
- Trip and slip hazards (raised mats, cables, low lighting, spilled drinks)
- Fire risk (electrical load, chargers, PCs, kitchen equipment if you serve food)
- Water damage (leaks, sprinkler discharge, burst pipes impacting electronics)
- Theft and malicious damage (portable tech, out-of-hours break-ins)
- Alcohol and late-night trading (if you’re a “golf bar” concept)
- Coaching and instruction (professional liability exposures)
- Events (corporate nights, stag/hen groups, competitions)
These are all manageable — but they need to be declared properly so the policy matches how you actually operate.
Core covers for indoor golf simulator venues
1) Public liability insurance
Public liability covers your legal liability if a member of the public is injured or their property is damaged due to your business activities. For indoor golf simulators, common scenarios include:
- A customer is struck by a club during a backswing
- A ball ricochets and injures someone or damages a phone
- A customer trips over a raised mat edge or cable
- Someone slips on spilled drink near a bay
- Damage to a landlord’s property (walls, flooring, fixtures)
Typical limits in the UK are £2m, £5m or £10m. Many landlords, councils, and corporate clients will expect £5m as a baseline.
2) Employers’ liability insurance (often mandatory)
If you employ anyone — full-time, part-time, casual, or even some contractors — you will usually need employers’ liability (EL). It covers claims from staff who are injured or become ill due to their work.
Indoor simulator examples:
- Staff moving heavy equipment or furniture for events
- Repetitive strain or manual handling injuries
- Slips in back-of-house areas
- Electrical hazards during setup/maintenance
Most UK policies provide £10m EL as standard.
3) Buildings and contents insurance
If you own the premises, you’ll need buildings cover. If you lease, you may still be responsible for tenant’s improvements (fit-out) and contents.
For simulator venues, “contents” often includes:
- Impact screens, netting, bay dividers
- Projectors, TVs, audio systems
- Computers, tablets, POS equipment
- Furniture, seating, bar equipment
- Stock (if you sell clubs, balls, gloves, apparel)
Make sure the sums insured reflect replacement as new, not second-hand value — especially for electronics.
4) Equipment cover (and “accidental damage”)
This is where many venues get caught out. Standard contents cover may not automatically include:
- Accidental damage (e.g., a customer knocks a projector, cracks a screen, damages a launch monitor)
- Mechanical/electrical breakdown (optional extension)
- Portable equipment away from premises (if you take kit to events)
Given the nature of simulator use, it’s worth discussing whether you need accidental damage and whether the policy has any special conditions around sports equipment.
5) Business interruption insurance
Business interruption (BI) helps replace lost gross profit or revenue if you can’t trade following an insured event (like a fire or flood). For simulator venues, BI can be crucial because:
- Bookings stop immediately if bays are unusable
- Repairs and equipment lead times can be long
- Even partial closure can cause major revenue loss
Key points to set correctly:
- Indemnity period (often 12, 18 or 24 months)
- Gross profit / revenue basis (match your accounts model)
- Increased cost of working (e.g., temporary relocation, extra marketing)
6) Product liability (if you sell items)
If you sell goods — even simple items like gloves, balls, tees, energy drinks, or branded merchandise — you may need product liability. This covers injury or damage caused by products you supply.
7) Professional indemnity (for coaching and advice)
If you provide coaching, fitting advice, or paid instruction, consider professional indemnity (PI). While many coaching claims are rare, PI can respond to allegations such as negligent advice leading to injury or financial loss (for example, a corporate client claiming your service didn’t meet contracted outcomes).
8) Cyber insurance (bookings, payments, customer data)
Most simulator venues rely on online bookings, payment processing, customer accounts, and Wi-Fi. Cyber cover can help with:
- Ransomware and business interruption from IT outages
- Data breach response costs
- Notification and credit monitoring (where applicable)
- Liability claims and regulatory support
Even small venues can be targets, especially if systems are not patched regularly or staff are not trained on phishing.
9) Money, theft, and fidelity risks
If you handle cash, you may need money cover (in till, on premises, in transit). If you have staff handling payments and stock, consider employee dishonesty (fidelity guarantee) depending on your setup.
10) Legal expenses
Legal expenses insurance can be a cost-effective add-on for:
- Employment disputes
- Landlord/tenant disputes
- Contract disputes (suppliers, fit-out contractors)
- Tax investigations
Common claims in indoor golf simulator businesses
Here are some of the most common claim types insurers see in indoor sports and leisure venues — and how they show up in simulator facilities:
- Slip/trip claims: raised mats, steps into bays, cables, wet floors, low lighting, spilled drinks
- Impact injuries: club strikes to bystanders, ball ricochets, broken fingers from mishits
- Property damage: holes in walls, broken TVs, cracked projectors, damaged screens
- Theft: portable tech, tablets, laptops, high-value clubs (if stored on site)
- Fire: electrical faults, kitchen equipment, overloaded sockets, battery charging stations
- Water damage: leaks damaging electronics, sprinkler discharge
- Business interruption: closures after fire/flood, or major equipment damage
- Cyber incidents: booking system outage, payment fraud, phishing leading to account compromise
Typical exclusions and “gotchas” to watch for
Policies differ, but these are common areas to check carefully:
- Wear and tear / gradual deterioration (not covered; maintenance is on you)
- Mechanical/electrical breakdown (often optional, not automatic)
- Unattended theft conditions (alarm requirements, locks, time limits)
- Alcohol-related trading (you must declare bar service, late hours, events)
- Heat work / contractors (welding, cutting, hot works conditions)
- Unsupervised use (some insurers may expect supervision or safety controls)
- Participant-to-participant injuries (wording varies; clarify if needed)
- Damage to property being worked on (relevant during fit-out/maintenance)
- Incorrect sums insured (underinsurance can reduce claim payments)
The fix is usually simple: disclose your operations properly and make sure the policy includes the right extensions.
Risk management: how to reduce incidents (and help your premium)
Insurers like well-run venues. These practical steps can reduce claims and improve your risk profile:
Bay safety and customer controls
- Clear swing-zone markings and “no entry” areas behind players
- Safety briefing for first-time users (verbal + signage)
- Rules for children (age limits, supervision requirements)
- Limit group sizes per bay to avoid crowding
- Appropriate lighting so people can see steps, mats and walkways
Flooring and trip prevention
- Secure mats and edges; consider bevelled edges
- Keep cables managed with trunking/cable covers
- Regular floor inspections and a simple checklist log
- Fast clean-up process for spills (especially if serving drinks)
Equipment protection
- Mount projectors securely; use protective housings where appropriate
- Position launch monitors to reduce accidental kicks/strikes
- Have a clear “what to do if something breaks” process
- Maintain ventilation to prevent overheating of PCs and AV equipment
Fire and electrical safety
- Portable appliance testing (PAT) where appropriate
- Don’t overload sockets; use suitable power distribution
- Keep combustibles away from electrical equipment
- Maintain fire alarms, emergency lighting, extinguishers
- Document checks and servicing
Theft prevention
- Monitored alarm and CCTV
- Secure storage for portable tech
- Good external doors/locks and shutters where needed
- End-of-day close-down checklist
Staff training
- Induction training on safety briefings and incident response
- Manual handling training for moving furniture/equipment
- Basic cyber hygiene: phishing awareness, password management
Do you need special cover for leagues, corporate events, and parties?
Possibly. If you host:
- Corporate team-building nights
- Competitions and leagues
- Private parties
- Stag/hen groups
- Food and alcohol packages
…tell your broker. These can change the risk profile (especially alcohol, late hours, and crowd behaviour). The right policy can still cover you — but it needs to reflect reality.
How insurers will underwrite an indoor golf simulator venue
When you request a quote, expect questions like:
- Premises: location, construction type, security, alarms, CCTV
- Trading: opening hours, late-night trading, alcohol/food service
- Operations: number of bays, supervision, safety briefings, age limits
- Equipment: total replacement value, fixed vs portable kit
- Revenue: turnover split (simulator time, coaching, bar, retail)
- Staffing: number of employees, payroll, use of contractors
- Claims history: any previous incidents or losses
- Risk controls: inspections, maintenance, fire safety, incident logs
Having these details ready speeds up quoting and helps avoid assumptions that can push premiums up.
Quick checklist: what to prepare before you buy insurance
- Equipment inventory with replacement values (projectors, PCs, monitors, screens)
- Fit-out value (partitions, flooring, lighting, signage)
- Turnover and payroll estimates
- Opening hours and whether you serve alcohol/food
- Safety rules and how you brief customers
- Security details (locks, alarm type, CCTV)
- Any coaching services and staff qualifications
- Lease requirements (landlord insurance clauses)
